Quick Tip: Minimizing notifications in webOS 1.2 30
by Derek Kessler
Fri, 02 Oct 2009 9:21 pm EDT
Fri, 02 Oct 2009 9:21 pm EDT 
If you’re like me, webOS 1.2 threw you for a tiny loop with a change in the gesture behavior. It used to be that you could minimize pop-up notifications by swiping down over the notification box, but this no longer works. There are still a number of ways to minimize your notifications:
- Swipe up, though this also will force your current app into card view.
- Back or forward swipe in the gesture area (either direction on one side of the center button); as long as a notification is up this will not trigger the appropriate response in the current app, it will only minimize the notification.
- Press the center button, which unlike the swipe up does not push back into card view.
As before, you can still dismiss notifications with a swipe across the notification in either direction. The down swipe is now used to bring an app in card view into focus. The down swipe works in both long form (drag the card down to the bottom of the screen) and short (just swipe down over your docked quick launch icons).
So why did that change? We suspect that Palm was driving for consistency: swipe up to enter card view, swipe down to exit.
30 Comments
I believe swiping down actually exited card view in 1.1 as well. To minimize the notification you had to swipe down from it to the gesture area. If you swiped down from the card to the gesture area, that exited card view.
You are correct, it's just exclusive to that action now instead of also minimizing notifications.
Yeah, I preferred the old way, but I'll get used to it this way.
Yes swiping down in card has always brought the card back in focus. I use that a lot. Funny thing is that I never knew swiping down on notifications minimized them. I've always just tapped anywhere on the active card or pressed any key on the keybaord to dismiss. This still works. Part of the beauty of the notifications is that if you just ignore them and keep typing/taping they minimize immediately so as not to ruin the flow. The only time you need to address them is to dismiss them right or left. Don't feel compelled to minimize. Just kepp on doing whatever you where doing. Trust me, it's a much better way to live.
Oftentimes with the large notifications, while you can continue doing what you're doing, it takes up enough of the screen that I'd rather take the few seconds to minimize it and then see the full screen.
What I'm trying to say is that a single tap anywhere on the screen above the notification will minimize it instantly. So will pressing any key on the keyboard. Always has! The swipe down is therefor not needed. So, there is no need to "take a few seconds". Palm designed notifications to be unintrusive so that they automatically minimize with nearly any normal usage activity.
I have no idea but its a feature I never used.
More reason to use the center button more often.
I suppose I'll use the center button for my notification minimizing needs but I certainly do feel 1.2 discards a lot of intuitive gestures. I personally wish they would give us the option, an app just like like wifi, bluetooth, sounds, date & time... gestures! I suppose intuitiveness can vary from person to person, so allowing people to personalize it would be pretty awesome.
I really like the change. Swipe down to bring the menus I used to have to keep poking at. Nice to know about the center button...didn't know that one, but sounds good!
You're thinking of a different change. You're talking about the app menu in the top left corner. This post is talking about the notifications you get like when a text comes in.
kind of stupid if you ask me considering tapping on a card will bring it into focus no need to swipe down. Seemed more practicale to swipe down notifications... However I never didswipe down notifications myself always swiped to the side off the screen.
I think it would be best if swiping notifications to the left dismissed them so they would not come back up. It is really annoying if you miss a call, the only way to dismiss the missed call reminder is to select the missed notification and hang up before the call is made. I think that is kind of bass ackward. Maybe make the notifications swipeable to the left to dismiss or to the right for remind me later. That would be cool!
After a missed call, if you bring the dialer up, the missed call notification will go away.
yea but my point s thats doing alot just to remove a notification.
They can be.
Edit: Oh I misread, sorry, ignore this comment.
Hm, strange. My missed calls go away when I dismiss them. I have issues with EMAILS popping up again, even when I'm reading them, but no notification issues with anything else.
cut the crap! where are the pay apps that were supposed to be here today!?
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geez.. can a fellow express himself without people taking it so literal!? i don't even really care for apps much, i have the important things i need.. i'm more concerned with updates.. i do like to rile up the posts though.. its funny to see the replies.. thanx for the laughs people.. keep it up lol
Whaaaa...... You can't expect every rumor to pan out. Anyway what is it exactly that you are missing that is not already in the phone? Core functionality is great. If you wanted lots of games and doodads then why adopt early?
Things will come. I'm not a developer and I assume you aren't either so who the hell owes us anything?
thanx lol! you were really passionate about that lol.. lighten up.. you know the thought crossed your mind..
i wish palm would give us with some type release notes with each update so we can learn about changes to gestures after an update...
I have a feeling it was probably updated in the help section...
I seem to recall people commenting that the Launcher screen can no longer be minimized by a swipe down. That much is certainly true. But has anybody mentioned that you can minimize it by another swipe *up*? Has this always been the case? If not, I like the change as swiping down always seemed to be a bit twitchy. Sometimes it would minimize or sometimes it would bounce down and up.
Agree.
I have always swiped up or down to minimize cards, since 1.1 also. I'm guessing not everyone did that. And I usually swiped left or right to get rid of my notifications. I never really tried swiping up or down to get rid of them. I assumed that the action would bring up other cards.
I always swiped down to close the launcher because when you close it that way, it would always open at the top of the list you were on the next time you opened it. If you swiped up to close it (yes this has always been available), the next time you opened it, it would be in the same place as when you last closed it. I prefer it to start at the top.
Also, to those that are misunderstanding, swiping down a notification would not dismiss the notification, but minimize it to the tiny icon that alerts you that there is a notification. You could only dismiss if you swiped left or right. I was able to dismiss missed call notifications by swiping left or right. I haven't missed a call since the newest update, but I assume it still works that way.
I always just swiped the notification to the right. Never even knew you could swipe down.
I really didn't know this until now. thanks for the tip though.
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